Is Bamboo and Osage Overkill?

[PastorSteveHill]

Hi guys.  FOr those of you who like Osage bows, is putting bamboo in the limbs overkill?

Osage is a tuff heavy wood and I'm hearing alot of bowyers say , "Osage limbs don't benefit with the use of bamboo in the limbs."  It seems to be to heavy of a wood...  What are your thoughts, and better yet what are some of your findings on this subject???

Would Osage limbs be any faster or smoother with the bamboo cores?  

Thanks and many blessings...

[wingnut]

Steve,

If your building them yourself, experiment with it.  Different designs require different wood.  In most glass bows the rule is lighter is better so bamboo core with thin osage veneers would work well.  In an "all natural" bow we have had mixed results.  Like I said some bows like an all osage limb and others like the bamboo core.

Mike

[joel smith]

Mike, do you find the bulletwood to be the same way or is it consistently better with the bamboo back ?

[LONGHORN]

I have a Jim Belcher longhorn with bamboo core and Osage veneer and I love it.
 

[wingnut]

A natural bow is usually better with common cores.  We build the Hunter and SoothSayer models with all osage or all yew.  But the BW with a horn belly likes a bamboo core.

Mike

[Dave2old]

Ah, "in the limbs." So you're building glass-lam bows? For all-wood bows, I've found no better combo than an osage bow backed with boo. As I understand it, if you get the glass right it doesn't matter tremendously what woods you use inside. I've also built a few osage board bows with one lam of glass on the back, rather than boo. It's super easy, at least semi-natural, and not a one has failed or suffered string-follow. Whatever -- any bow build is more personally satisfying than any bow bought. Have fun.

[HATCHCHASER]

From what I understand veneers don't effect bow perfomance in a glass backed bow.